SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–The hours are grueling, the attention to detail is exhausting and the potential for long-term stability is lacking.

A hitting coach’s schedule doesn’t end when the season concludes, either. It may not be a 365-day per year job, but thanks to the advent of new technology and ever-increasing stakes, it is close to a daily, year-round endeavor.

“I think probably in the last eight years, it’s become more of a full-time thing,” Giants hitting coach Alonzo Powell said of his job. “With technology, guys have access to video, guys are working out in the offseason and they send you video to let you know what they’re working on. In a sense, you can be their eyes for them.”

Powell is a set of eyes for every player on the Giants roster. He’s the first one to the ballpark when hitters want to work in the cage and he’s among the last to leave at the end of the day.

He isn’t, however, the only set of eyes pouring over a hitter’s load, their swing path and the point at which they make contact. When players head home for the offseason, many will maintain regular communication with Powell. Some will also seek outside help from private instructors.

“Everybody always has a guy,” Powell said. “Wherever they grew up, they had a guy that worked with them when they were younger. They’re used to this guy.”

For a growing number of major league players, including several Giants, the “guy” is Craig Wallenbrock, a 72-year-old private coach based in Southern California.

When Steven Duggar wanted to become a more complete hitter in the minor leagues, he began taking lessons with an instructor recommended by former Clemson teammate Tyler Krieger. When outfielder Cameron Maybin wanted to overhaul his swing mechanics this year, he took monthly trips from coast-to-coast to work with a coach who didn’t last more than a season playing college baseball at San Diego State. When the Giants asked Austin Slater to try to lift the ball in the air more often, he chose to refine his approach during the winter with the same guru responsible for the success stories of players like J.D. Martinez and Chris Taylor.

They all landed with Wallenbrock.

“I think the biggest thing that struck me is just the similarities that he had picked up and the people he had worked with, the commonalities of a lot of these really good hitters,” Duggar said. “Some that are similar to me. I think that’s why I drew more toward Craig.”

Wallenbrock is hardly the only popular instructor among major leaguers. Giants outfielder Mac Williamson completely revamped his swing last year with another Southern California-based coach, Doug Latta. After watching Williamson’s early success in 2018, Hunter Pence spent time changing his pre-swing load with Latta.

Swing adjustments are made on a player’s personal time and on a player’s personal dime. If the instruction results in failure, it’s impossible for major league teams to hold coaches like Wallenbrock and Latta accountable. That’s why a hitting coach employed by a club prefers to be accessible to players and even private instructors during the offseason.

“I have contacted those guys because I do want to understand a little bit of what they’re doing and what they’re teaching guys so I’m familiar,” Powell said. “Now when I hear our guys talk, I know what they’re talking about.”

After posting a 41 percent groundball rate –one of the highest in baseball– last season, Slater said Powell, assistant hitting coach Rick Schu and members of the Giants’ analytics department approached him about altering his swing path. The Giants think Slater can unlock more power if he moves his bat through the strike zone earlier, so the outfielder set out to create change this offseason.

At the recommendation of former Stanford teammate and current Orioles infielder Drew Jackson, Slater called up Wallenbrock. Ten days after heading south, Slater jetted over to Arizona to show Powell what he changed.

“I was down there for about a week, a week and a half and I came down to hit with (Powell) to make sure we were on the right path,” Slater said. “He was right there with me the whole way as far as all of the adjustments and understanding what I’m trying to do.”

A native of San Francisco, Powell resides in Peoria, Arizona during the offseason and spent time with many of the Giants’ minor leaguers in Scottsdale during the month of January. He helped Ryder Jones, Zach Green and Michael Gerber with their swings while staying in touch with major leaguers like Joe Panik, who sent video from sessions in the batting cage back home in New York.

The phone never stops ringing for hitting coaches, even if they’re not actually responsible for particular players. Maybin didn’t sign with the Giants until February 16, but he trusted Powell to provide his opinion on videos of his swing thanks to a relationship forged over the course of their respective careers.

“I value Zo’s opinion,” Maybin said. “He’s known me for awhile, he had a chance to work with me for years in San Diego. It’s someone I knew who was in the game and he just gave me some feedback.”

The process of fine-tuning and tinkering with a swing never ends, but it’s especially important for younger players without thousands of at-bats of major league experience to draw from. Duggar said aside from working with Wallenbrock in the winter and Powell throughout the season, he actively seeks out the advice of veterans who he wants to emulate.

“I’ve had the privilege to talk to Buster (Posey) and ask what does he think?” Duggar said. “What’s (Brandon Crawford) thinking? How does he approach BP? It’s not all about the swing necessarily, but what is it that not only makes you a good hitter but a consistent hitter over a period of a season? That’s what you’re trying to figure out.”

Duggar is part of a new wave of young players who have openly embraced the information and data front offices have made available to players. He acknowledges “the game is changing,” and said one of his primary motivations for using new technology available to hitters is to determine the best possible swing path to succeed in an era where pitchers are mixing 100-mile per hour fastballs with hard breaking balls.

One of the most critical aspects of moving techniques from the “lab” to the batter’s box is perfecting the timing aspect of hitting. All the work that takes place in indoor facilities can prepare a hitter for success, but Powell said carrying over changes into at-bats requires an additional challenge that can only be confronted against live pitching.

“You can work all you want in the offseason, but once the games start, you’ve got different timing on different pitchers,” Powell said. “You’ve got quick pitches, guys that have the slide step and that’s one of my big points, you have to be on time before you can execute a good swing.”

Powell faces an immense challenge in 2019 as he’s tasked with overseeing the improvement of an offense that has finished 29th in runs scored in each of the past two seasons. New president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi did not add any major league free agents and hasn’t acquired any proven hitters through trade this offseason.

The job of a hitting coach is labor-intensive, ever-evolving and frequently stressful, but Powell has already made it through the most difficult season of his career. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer last January, Powell finished his 40th and final radiation treatment last week and hopes to receive word that he’s cancer-free from his oncologist in the coming months.

“To me, he’s like family,” Maybin said of Powell. “Knowing his story, knowing what he went through, being with him when he found out in Houston what was going on. To know the journey that he’s had to go through to overcome this terrible disease, it’s amazing.”

Powell’s journey, much like a player’s swing, is constantly changing. He’s been forced to adapt and has always willingly embraced new challenges.

After an offseason spent with hitting coaches near and far, the Giants players must follow suit if they hope to improve in 2019.

Kerry Crowley is a multimedia beat reporter covering the San Francisco Giants. He spent his early days throwing curveballs in San Francisco’s youth leagues before studying journalism at Arizona State University. Kerry has covered every level of baseball, from local preps to the Cape Cod League, and is now on a quest to determine which Major League city serves the best cheeseburger.